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In town v
today
8 slbl Missouri Open Golf
Tournament continues. Country
Club of Missouri.
8 p. m. Kansas City Choir, Church
of God in Christ.
Exhibits
Continuing: Ellis Library,
Italian Baroque Drawings and
Textiles Through Two Millema, 2
to S pm. Colombia Art League,
ArtandtheCity: ACelebrationof
Columbia and Boone County,
10: 30 a. m. to 3: 15 p. m. Colombia
Gallery of Photography,
Photography by Douglas
Faulkner and Huntington
Withenll, 9 a. m. to 5 p. m. Public
Library, Scenes from Columbia,
Lois Mikrut, watercolors and
Twentieth Century Doll
Collection, loaned by Lois Miller.
See page 13 for Boone County
Fair schedule.
See page 15 for movie listings.
I II J
Insight
Lowly worm
transformed
to ' celebrity9
ByJamesP. Sterba
N. Y. Times Service
- HOUSTON Just as Cervantes and
f: Shakespeare said it would, the once
trod- upo- n worm has turned.
Like an underground Margaux
-- Hemingway, the worm has been
i transformed from rural hick into
celebrity chic by shrewd promotion,
abundant potential and, recently, by
famous- nam- e identification.
The famous name is Carter Hugh
Carter, a 55- year-- old Georgia state
senator from Plains and the first worm
,. farmer in history to have a cousin
running for president If cousin Jimmy
is elected, the worm, like its subsurface
compatriot, the peanut, is destined to
become an honored guest at the White
House.
It is happening none too soon, say
worm enthusiasts. After yean of
servitude at the end of a fish hook, the
-- worm -- to -- betegtooted- to- an coTopST
hero, a relentless waste disposal
worker, a source of protein and an
alternative to chemical fertilizers.
It is already big business; its sales to
fishermen and organic gardeners are
estimated at more than 50 million a
year. Backyard wormeries have given
way to corporations calling themselves
" Vermiculturists," which have
established nationwide production and
( See AS, Page 16)
; 4 7
o: " i - : - j: c'i?. ' jcifty
68th Year - No. 268 Good Morning! It' Friday, Aug. ( k 1 976 1 6 Pages - 1 5 Outs
Ichorch Panel should tap Hearnes
By our wire services
The State Democratic Committee
should appoint former Gov. Warren
Heames to replace the late Jerry Litton
as the Democratic nominee for senator,
U. S. Rep. Richard Ichord said
Thursday.
But Ichord, who has been urged by
some Democrats to seek the
nomination, said he would seek the
nomination if Hearnes turned it down
Litton, three members of his family
and two other persons were killed
Tuesday night when their twin- engi- ne
plane crashed on takeoff near the
Chillicothe airport
Services for Litton, 39; his wife,
Sharon, 26, and their children, Soctt, 12,
and Linda, 13, will be held today at 3
p. m. at the United Methodist Church m
Chillicothe. They will be buned in a
family plot north of Chillicothe.
State Auditor George Lehr said
Thursday he would not be interested in
the nomination. U. S. Rep. William
Hungate and State Treasurer James
Spamhower, other respected
Democrats who have been urged to run,
refused to comment in deference to
Litton.
" Several influential people and
Democrats have urged me to seek it,"
Ichord said in Washington " However,
the party has no other choice but to
accede to the second candidate, Gov.
Hearnes. I think any person desirous of
the nomination would be ill advised if
he sought the nomination under the
circumstances."
The state party's executive
committee will meet in closed session
Saturday to make plans for calling the
60- mem- ber state committee into
session to replace Litton on the
November general election ballot.
Litton won the nomination with 45 per
cent of the vote.
Hearnes, who finished second with 26
per cent, has been mentioned by most
committee members during informal
discussions, according to Party
Chairman John McIIroy. But the
committee may consider others,
McIIroy said
" There's no question that Hearnes
name has been mentioned more than
anyone else," McIIroy said
U. S Rep James W. Symington, the
election favorite who finished 11,000
votes and one percentage point behind
Heames, said he would not seek the
committee appointment. The nominee
will face Attorney General John C
Danforth, who easily won the
Republican primary.
Symington said Wednesday he was
" bowing out" of the race. " I love
Missouri and bow to the will of the
people of our state with nothing but the
greatest love and affection," the 2nd
District congressman said.
A campaign spokesman said,
however, that the congressman had not
openly said he would not accept the
nomination if it were offered him by the
committee.
Ichord said he wotdd not be interested
in the nomination unless Hearnes was
not interested in it.
" If he chose not to seek it, yes, I
would seek it" Ichord said
Hungate, who gamed national fame
for his wit as a member of the judiciary
committee that voted to impeach
former President Richard Nixon and is
retiring from Congress, declined
comment.
" It would be inappropriate for me to
make any comment whatsoever on the
political situation because this tragedy
is so recent that many of us who knew
Jerry Litton are still stunned," he said
Spamhower said he would not make
any comment until Saturday, and Lehr
would not discuss the situation until
after the Litton family's funerals
" I'm not interested in it," Lehr said
in Kansas City.
McIIroy said the committee must act
quickly for the sake of the party
" Frankly, I think the sooner it can be
resolved, the better off the party's
going to be. This has been a blow to the
Democratic party," he said
In Jefferson City, Lt Gov William C
Phelps Thursday ordered all state
offices closed after 3 pm today in
Litton's memory Phelps acted at the
request of Gov Christopher S Bond,
who was vacationing in Idaho
And in Chilhcothe, Litton campaign
aides and congressional staff members
worked stoically on the hundreds of
details for the funeral of the town's
favorite son and his family. It will be
the largest funeral Chillicothe ever has
held
The Methodist Church was chosen
( See HOUSE, Page 13)
More than 250 persons gathered in Columbia
Thursday night to pay tribute to U. S. Rep. Jerry
Litton. The memorial service was held at the
First Presbyterian Church, which Litton and his
wife had joined several years ago. ( Missourian
photo by Mary Bradford)
City eulogizes
Jerry Litton
By Doug Atkins
Missourian staff writer
Jerry Litton first got the idea to go
into national politics when, as a young
man, he had a long conversation with
former President Harry S Truman
" Jerry was national secretary for the
Future Fanners of America, when he
was invited to talk with Truman Jerry
thought it would only be for a few
minutes, but it lasted for over two
hours," Allan W Purdy said at a
memorial service Thursday in
Columbia.
Purdy and Jay Wendel McKinsey
paid tribute to their old friend at the
service attended by 250 persons at the
First Presbyterian Church.
McKinsey, associate dean of the
University College of Agriculture and a
longtime fnend of Litton, described
rum as hard working, dependable,
versatile and efficient.
" Jerry Litton was just a good man,
there is no other way to describe him,"
McKinsey said.- -
Litton was one of the first persons to
use computers m beef cattle marketing,
McKinsey said. " Jerry never was
content to determine the weaknesses
and faults of a problem, he always
would work towards their solution," he
said
Purdy, University director of student
financial aid services, said he first
knew him when Litton was 18 and still
in high school
" Jerry was already a Ieuier in the
Future Farmers of America and other
groups," Purdy said By the time he
was 19, Litton was in demand as a
speaker, Purdy said, noting that Litton
spoke at high school programs and
business luncheons.
" I thought the services were verj
nice," said County Court Judge Carolyn
lA& xop, whose husband was chairman
of the Litton campaign in Columbia
The Lathrops plan to attend the Litton
family's funeral in Chillicothe today
Among those attending the services
were Rep John Rollins; Richard
Farmer, candidate for County Court
judge second district, and Warren
Welliver, candidate for state Senate,
district 19
The Rev. Donald G Huston and the
Rev Brent J Eelman conducted the
services
Vaccinations in jeopardy
WASHINGTON ( UPI) - The
government's top health experts told
Congress Thursday the entire federal
program to protect children against
polio, measles and mumps is
threatened by the same insurance
problem blocking the swine flu
inoculation program.
Unless a law is passed to solve the
insurance tangle ensnaring the swine
flu plan, said HEW Secretary David
Mathews and Dr. David Sencer, head of
the Center for Disease Control, the
government may be unable to obtain
the vaccines it needs to immunize
children against other diseases this
winter.
Both urged the Senate to pass
. legislation already being considered in
the House to allow injured citizens to
sue the government and the
government in turn to sue drug
companies or other parties.
Backers are trying to get the
legislation to President Ford's desk
before Congress adjourns next week for
the GOP National Convention
Sencer also told Sen Edward M
Kennedy's health subcommittee the
chances are " diminishing rapidly" the
mysterious Pennsylvania illness will
turn out to be swine flu
" The lesson we can learn from
Philadelphia is that the public will want
some form of immunization this fall,"
Sencer said.
As they were testifying, the House
Commerce Committee struggled with
the legislation that is designed to make
the insurance companies more willing
to give liability insurance to the four
drug companies assigned to make the
flu vaccine.
The proposal, in theory, would set up
the government as a giant filter to keep
nuisance suits away from the drug
companies or health personnel mvolved
in the swine flu program If the
government lost a case, it could go to
court in an effort to recover from the
offending party
On a 15- 1- 2 vote, the Commerce panel
turned down a move by Rep Andrew
Maguire, D-- N J., that would force the
drug company or other liable party to
pay damages back to the government
automatically any time the government
lost a damage suit
Dr. Sencer told Kennedy's panel the
drug companies making vaccine for
polio, German measles, measles and
mumps are demanding that only
doctors administer the vaccines
instead of the nurses and paramedics
who usually administer them and
that patients be given written
statements warning them of the
potential risks. V
"
Hearing quail wails?
Could be it's Willie
By Mary Ann Bennett
Missourian staff writer
A paper- traine- d bobwhite quail
with a foot fetish is lost in the woods
near the University veterinary
clinic, and Pam Potter, 1402
Rosemary Lane, wants nun back.
She wants nun back bad enough to
offer a $ 50 reward
Ms. Potter says the quail, who
answers to " Willie," is very tame
and friendly. " He's just like a little
dog, and he loves people's feet He
just comes up to people and starts
pecking around their feet," she says.
Willie's own feet are distinctive.
The middle toe on his tight foot is
broken and the second toe on the
same foot has no nail.
Ms. Potter, a veterinary student at
Louisiana State University who has
been working at the Sinclair
Research Farm for the summer,
hatched Willie from an egg she
obtained at the New Orleans Zoo a
year and a half ago.
" I was working at the zoo, and
they had a whole pen full of doves
and quail, but they threw the eggs
out because they didn't want any
more. I just thought it might be a
good idea, since I'm a veterinary
( See OH, Page 16) J
Post office
duo charged
in Ashland
ASHLAND Nine charges of
embezzling post office funds have been
filed against postmaster Jerry Crane in
U. S District Court in Kansas City
Five charges of overcharging postal
customers were filed against his wife
Ruth, the postal clerk
The charges resulted from an
investigation by U. S. postal inspectors
The investigation was begun in May
after the postal inspector's office m
Jefferson City received a complaint
from a customer of the post office
Mrs Crane told Mark Paul, publisher
of the Boone County Journal, that they
( the Cranes) did nothing " major"
wrong. She said that perhaps she
( See 2, Page 13)
Columbia after midnight: 6a whole different world'
Police Maj. Bill McNear, the man who
investigates rapes, robberies and riots in'
Columbia, pondered a reporter's question during
a recent interview. ( Missourian photos by
Suzanne Sayre)
By Virginia Young
Missourian staff writer
In the early hours of the morning,
when Columbia bartenders roll down
their shades and coax the last customer
into the streets, a different cycle of life
begins. A store is broken into and
ransacked. A woman walking home
alone is raped. A pusher finalizes a
sale.
" It's a whole different world out there
after midnight," Maj Bill McNear
says. And few people know more about
it than he does.
While McNear is home in bed, events
are happening on the street that will
provide nun with a full day's work. As
commander of the investigative
division of the Columbia Police
Department, McNear is in charge of
coordinating the activities of the
investigative, the narcotics and the
juvenile divisions.
In his job, he sees a lot of the seamy
side of life. But dealing with the sordid
types of people who filter in and out of
the criminal world doesn't leave him
somber. " You see a different side of
life, but it's not all grimy. You have to
develop a certain sense of humor about
it; otherwise you'd be depressed all the
tune."
The small office he shares with his
secretary on the basement floor of the
Fire and Police Building at Seventh and
Walnut streets is less than plush an
occasional cockroach crawls across the
floor, the light blue plaster walls are
largely bare and small chunks of yellow
foam padding are missing from the
armrests of his chair. Stacks of reports
attest to the volume of work.
But McNear says he is satisfied and
wouldn't want to be " upstairs where the
carpeted offices are." His surroundings
seem to fit him The 40- year-- old
detective has the look of a solid day
laborer, not an executive His hands are
work- wor- n, and a shock of slightly
greying hair brushes across his tanned
forehead. His rugged features are
contradicted only by soft blue eyes that
frequently twinkle behind his grey- fram- e
glasses.
His job is multi- dimension- al. He
assigns cases to the seven detectives
and two sergeants working under him
and oversees their work. He makes
sure cases ace ready to be taken to
court. He wangles with the police chief
on budget matters. And he's on call 24
hours a day, in the case of a major
homicide, burglary, rape, not or ,
questionable suicide. '
" I get called to the scene when there
is some responsibility and there might
be some heat," McNear says. i
Although it's not in his job I
description, McNear also has another i
role. Unofficially and unintentionally,
he moonlights as a free counseling
service to people in trouble His salty
combination of toughness and
tenderness makes people seek him out
to talk about their problems, then- - fears
and their loneliness.
From 7: 30 a m. when he reports to
work until mid- afterno- on when he
leaves, people pop in and out of the
office. They're welcomed with a cup of
coffee and depart with a large dose of
McNear's sense of humor and
sensitivity. " His personality just seems
to rub off on you," says Sgt Ted
McGrath, a detective in the department
for 11 years.
" He has a way of not passing
judgment on people and they know
that," says Alma Asbury, his secretary
of three years. " He's very sensitive to
t
( See PATCHING, Page 15) '

In town v
today
8 slbl Missouri Open Golf
Tournament continues. Country
Club of Missouri.
8 p. m. Kansas City Choir, Church
of God in Christ.
Exhibits
Continuing: Ellis Library,
Italian Baroque Drawings and
Textiles Through Two Millema, 2
to S pm. Colombia Art League,
ArtandtheCity: ACelebrationof
Columbia and Boone County,
10: 30 a. m. to 3: 15 p. m. Colombia
Gallery of Photography,
Photography by Douglas
Faulkner and Huntington
Withenll, 9 a. m. to 5 p. m. Public
Library, Scenes from Columbia,
Lois Mikrut, watercolors and
Twentieth Century Doll
Collection, loaned by Lois Miller.
See page 13 for Boone County
Fair schedule.
See page 15 for movie listings.
I II J
Insight
Lowly worm
transformed
to ' celebrity9
ByJamesP. Sterba
N. Y. Times Service
- HOUSTON Just as Cervantes and
f: Shakespeare said it would, the once
trod- upo- n worm has turned.
Like an underground Margaux
-- Hemingway, the worm has been
i transformed from rural hick into
celebrity chic by shrewd promotion,
abundant potential and, recently, by
famous- nam- e identification.
The famous name is Carter Hugh
Carter, a 55- year-- old Georgia state
senator from Plains and the first worm
,. farmer in history to have a cousin
running for president If cousin Jimmy
is elected, the worm, like its subsurface
compatriot, the peanut, is destined to
become an honored guest at the White
House.
It is happening none too soon, say
worm enthusiasts. After yean of
servitude at the end of a fish hook, the
-- worm -- to -- betegtooted- to- an coTopST
hero, a relentless waste disposal
worker, a source of protein and an
alternative to chemical fertilizers.
It is already big business; its sales to
fishermen and organic gardeners are
estimated at more than 50 million a
year. Backyard wormeries have given
way to corporations calling themselves
" Vermiculturists," which have
established nationwide production and
( See AS, Page 16)
; 4 7
o: " i - : - j: c'i?. ' jcifty
68th Year - No. 268 Good Morning! It' Friday, Aug. ( k 1 976 1 6 Pages - 1 5 Outs
Ichorch Panel should tap Hearnes
By our wire services
The State Democratic Committee
should appoint former Gov. Warren
Heames to replace the late Jerry Litton
as the Democratic nominee for senator,
U. S. Rep. Richard Ichord said
Thursday.
But Ichord, who has been urged by
some Democrats to seek the
nomination, said he would seek the
nomination if Hearnes turned it down
Litton, three members of his family
and two other persons were killed
Tuesday night when their twin- engi- ne
plane crashed on takeoff near the
Chillicothe airport
Services for Litton, 39; his wife,
Sharon, 26, and their children, Soctt, 12,
and Linda, 13, will be held today at 3
p. m. at the United Methodist Church m
Chillicothe. They will be buned in a
family plot north of Chillicothe.
State Auditor George Lehr said
Thursday he would not be interested in
the nomination. U. S. Rep. William
Hungate and State Treasurer James
Spamhower, other respected
Democrats who have been urged to run,
refused to comment in deference to
Litton.
" Several influential people and
Democrats have urged me to seek it,"
Ichord said in Washington " However,
the party has no other choice but to
accede to the second candidate, Gov.
Hearnes. I think any person desirous of
the nomination would be ill advised if
he sought the nomination under the
circumstances."
The state party's executive
committee will meet in closed session
Saturday to make plans for calling the
60- mem- ber state committee into
session to replace Litton on the
November general election ballot.
Litton won the nomination with 45 per
cent of the vote.
Hearnes, who finished second with 26
per cent, has been mentioned by most
committee members during informal
discussions, according to Party
Chairman John McIIroy. But the
committee may consider others,
McIIroy said
" There's no question that Hearnes
name has been mentioned more than
anyone else," McIIroy said
U. S Rep James W. Symington, the
election favorite who finished 11,000
votes and one percentage point behind
Heames, said he would not seek the
committee appointment. The nominee
will face Attorney General John C
Danforth, who easily won the
Republican primary.
Symington said Wednesday he was
" bowing out" of the race. " I love
Missouri and bow to the will of the
people of our state with nothing but the
greatest love and affection," the 2nd
District congressman said.
A campaign spokesman said,
however, that the congressman had not
openly said he would not accept the
nomination if it were offered him by the
committee.
Ichord said he wotdd not be interested
in the nomination unless Hearnes was
not interested in it.
" If he chose not to seek it, yes, I
would seek it" Ichord said
Hungate, who gamed national fame
for his wit as a member of the judiciary
committee that voted to impeach
former President Richard Nixon and is
retiring from Congress, declined
comment.
" It would be inappropriate for me to
make any comment whatsoever on the
political situation because this tragedy
is so recent that many of us who knew
Jerry Litton are still stunned," he said
Spamhower said he would not make
any comment until Saturday, and Lehr
would not discuss the situation until
after the Litton family's funerals
" I'm not interested in it," Lehr said
in Kansas City.
McIIroy said the committee must act
quickly for the sake of the party
" Frankly, I think the sooner it can be
resolved, the better off the party's
going to be. This has been a blow to the
Democratic party," he said
In Jefferson City, Lt Gov William C
Phelps Thursday ordered all state
offices closed after 3 pm today in
Litton's memory Phelps acted at the
request of Gov Christopher S Bond,
who was vacationing in Idaho
And in Chilhcothe, Litton campaign
aides and congressional staff members
worked stoically on the hundreds of
details for the funeral of the town's
favorite son and his family. It will be
the largest funeral Chillicothe ever has
held
The Methodist Church was chosen
( See HOUSE, Page 13)
More than 250 persons gathered in Columbia
Thursday night to pay tribute to U. S. Rep. Jerry
Litton. The memorial service was held at the
First Presbyterian Church, which Litton and his
wife had joined several years ago. ( Missourian
photo by Mary Bradford)
City eulogizes
Jerry Litton
By Doug Atkins
Missourian staff writer
Jerry Litton first got the idea to go
into national politics when, as a young
man, he had a long conversation with
former President Harry S Truman
" Jerry was national secretary for the
Future Fanners of America, when he
was invited to talk with Truman Jerry
thought it would only be for a few
minutes, but it lasted for over two
hours," Allan W Purdy said at a
memorial service Thursday in
Columbia.
Purdy and Jay Wendel McKinsey
paid tribute to their old friend at the
service attended by 250 persons at the
First Presbyterian Church.
McKinsey, associate dean of the
University College of Agriculture and a
longtime fnend of Litton, described
rum as hard working, dependable,
versatile and efficient.
" Jerry Litton was just a good man,
there is no other way to describe him,"
McKinsey said.- -
Litton was one of the first persons to
use computers m beef cattle marketing,
McKinsey said. " Jerry never was
content to determine the weaknesses
and faults of a problem, he always
would work towards their solution," he
said
Purdy, University director of student
financial aid services, said he first
knew him when Litton was 18 and still
in high school
" Jerry was already a Ieuier in the
Future Farmers of America and other
groups," Purdy said By the time he
was 19, Litton was in demand as a
speaker, Purdy said, noting that Litton
spoke at high school programs and
business luncheons.
" I thought the services were verj
nice," said County Court Judge Carolyn
lA& xop, whose husband was chairman
of the Litton campaign in Columbia
The Lathrops plan to attend the Litton
family's funeral in Chillicothe today
Among those attending the services
were Rep John Rollins; Richard
Farmer, candidate for County Court
judge second district, and Warren
Welliver, candidate for state Senate,
district 19
The Rev. Donald G Huston and the
Rev Brent J Eelman conducted the
services
Vaccinations in jeopardy
WASHINGTON ( UPI) - The
government's top health experts told
Congress Thursday the entire federal
program to protect children against
polio, measles and mumps is
threatened by the same insurance
problem blocking the swine flu
inoculation program.
Unless a law is passed to solve the
insurance tangle ensnaring the swine
flu plan, said HEW Secretary David
Mathews and Dr. David Sencer, head of
the Center for Disease Control, the
government may be unable to obtain
the vaccines it needs to immunize
children against other diseases this
winter.
Both urged the Senate to pass
. legislation already being considered in
the House to allow injured citizens to
sue the government and the
government in turn to sue drug
companies or other parties.
Backers are trying to get the
legislation to President Ford's desk
before Congress adjourns next week for
the GOP National Convention
Sencer also told Sen Edward M
Kennedy's health subcommittee the
chances are " diminishing rapidly" the
mysterious Pennsylvania illness will
turn out to be swine flu
" The lesson we can learn from
Philadelphia is that the public will want
some form of immunization this fall,"
Sencer said.
As they were testifying, the House
Commerce Committee struggled with
the legislation that is designed to make
the insurance companies more willing
to give liability insurance to the four
drug companies assigned to make the
flu vaccine.
The proposal, in theory, would set up
the government as a giant filter to keep
nuisance suits away from the drug
companies or health personnel mvolved
in the swine flu program If the
government lost a case, it could go to
court in an effort to recover from the
offending party
On a 15- 1- 2 vote, the Commerce panel
turned down a move by Rep Andrew
Maguire, D-- N J., that would force the
drug company or other liable party to
pay damages back to the government
automatically any time the government
lost a damage suit
Dr. Sencer told Kennedy's panel the
drug companies making vaccine for
polio, German measles, measles and
mumps are demanding that only
doctors administer the vaccines
instead of the nurses and paramedics
who usually administer them and
that patients be given written
statements warning them of the
potential risks. V
"
Hearing quail wails?
Could be it's Willie
By Mary Ann Bennett
Missourian staff writer
A paper- traine- d bobwhite quail
with a foot fetish is lost in the woods
near the University veterinary
clinic, and Pam Potter, 1402
Rosemary Lane, wants nun back.
She wants nun back bad enough to
offer a $ 50 reward
Ms. Potter says the quail, who
answers to " Willie," is very tame
and friendly. " He's just like a little
dog, and he loves people's feet He
just comes up to people and starts
pecking around their feet," she says.
Willie's own feet are distinctive.
The middle toe on his tight foot is
broken and the second toe on the
same foot has no nail.
Ms. Potter, a veterinary student at
Louisiana State University who has
been working at the Sinclair
Research Farm for the summer,
hatched Willie from an egg she
obtained at the New Orleans Zoo a
year and a half ago.
" I was working at the zoo, and
they had a whole pen full of doves
and quail, but they threw the eggs
out because they didn't want any
more. I just thought it might be a
good idea, since I'm a veterinary
( See OH, Page 16) J
Post office
duo charged
in Ashland
ASHLAND Nine charges of
embezzling post office funds have been
filed against postmaster Jerry Crane in
U. S District Court in Kansas City
Five charges of overcharging postal
customers were filed against his wife
Ruth, the postal clerk
The charges resulted from an
investigation by U. S. postal inspectors
The investigation was begun in May
after the postal inspector's office m
Jefferson City received a complaint
from a customer of the post office
Mrs Crane told Mark Paul, publisher
of the Boone County Journal, that they
( the Cranes) did nothing " major"
wrong. She said that perhaps she
( See 2, Page 13)
Columbia after midnight: 6a whole different world'
Police Maj. Bill McNear, the man who
investigates rapes, robberies and riots in'
Columbia, pondered a reporter's question during
a recent interview. ( Missourian photos by
Suzanne Sayre)
By Virginia Young
Missourian staff writer
In the early hours of the morning,
when Columbia bartenders roll down
their shades and coax the last customer
into the streets, a different cycle of life
begins. A store is broken into and
ransacked. A woman walking home
alone is raped. A pusher finalizes a
sale.
" It's a whole different world out there
after midnight," Maj Bill McNear
says. And few people know more about
it than he does.
While McNear is home in bed, events
are happening on the street that will
provide nun with a full day's work. As
commander of the investigative
division of the Columbia Police
Department, McNear is in charge of
coordinating the activities of the
investigative, the narcotics and the
juvenile divisions.
In his job, he sees a lot of the seamy
side of life. But dealing with the sordid
types of people who filter in and out of
the criminal world doesn't leave him
somber. " You see a different side of
life, but it's not all grimy. You have to
develop a certain sense of humor about
it; otherwise you'd be depressed all the
tune."
The small office he shares with his
secretary on the basement floor of the
Fire and Police Building at Seventh and
Walnut streets is less than plush an
occasional cockroach crawls across the
floor, the light blue plaster walls are
largely bare and small chunks of yellow
foam padding are missing from the
armrests of his chair. Stacks of reports
attest to the volume of work.
But McNear says he is satisfied and
wouldn't want to be " upstairs where the
carpeted offices are." His surroundings
seem to fit him The 40- year-- old
detective has the look of a solid day
laborer, not an executive His hands are
work- wor- n, and a shock of slightly
greying hair brushes across his tanned
forehead. His rugged features are
contradicted only by soft blue eyes that
frequently twinkle behind his grey- fram- e
glasses.
His job is multi- dimension- al. He
assigns cases to the seven detectives
and two sergeants working under him
and oversees their work. He makes
sure cases ace ready to be taken to
court. He wangles with the police chief
on budget matters. And he's on call 24
hours a day, in the case of a major
homicide, burglary, rape, not or ,
questionable suicide. '
" I get called to the scene when there
is some responsibility and there might
be some heat," McNear says. i
Although it's not in his job I
description, McNear also has another i
role. Unofficially and unintentionally,
he moonlights as a free counseling
service to people in trouble His salty
combination of toughness and
tenderness makes people seek him out
to talk about their problems, then- - fears
and their loneliness.
From 7: 30 a m. when he reports to
work until mid- afterno- on when he
leaves, people pop in and out of the
office. They're welcomed with a cup of
coffee and depart with a large dose of
McNear's sense of humor and
sensitivity. " His personality just seems
to rub off on you," says Sgt Ted
McGrath, a detective in the department
for 11 years.
" He has a way of not passing
judgment on people and they know
that," says Alma Asbury, his secretary
of three years. " He's very sensitive to
t
( See PATCHING, Page 15) '